Fifty Shades of Grey - E L James

I won’t need to read another romance novel. EVER.  I don’t think I have to reiterate why. Leave it to a woman to bring this kind of satisfaction.

What kept me interested (other than the sheer novelty of endless, uncensored sex) was the curiosity as to why the author would write about a sadomasochistic - or BDSM - relationship, her intention, and why all three novels are so popular.  Was it for pleasure, based on experience, for profit, shock, healing, or did she wish to put forth some other meaning?  And why do these novels resonate with the often repressed female psyche so much? Usually this subject matter is accessible only in horror novels, such as in Anne Rice’s novels, where it’s been hiding for so long, and subtly in harlequin romances.

The two main characters hold their own – Ana, the submissive literary college grad, and Christian, the millionaire - or was it billionaire - DOM. Their relationship is touching, intimate, believable (well...sort of!?!), humorous at times, and the sex is.....well....you’ll have to read.

What I liked:  Ana’s thoughts from her inner goddess, stream of consciousness, and subconscious (the idea of this, not the actual dialogue which could have been less surface at times).  Except for certain ones such as “my subconscious figuratively glares at me over her half-moon specs “, or “if he were more normal he wouldn’t like you.” Even her mother’s voice speaks truth to her: “men are literal creatures, Ana.” I also liked the back and forth emails between Christian and Ana; they just got funnier closer to the end, especially the subject, ensuring I will be reading Fifty Shades Darker. 

What I didn’t like:  the cheesy addressing to each other by the main characters as Mr, Miss, and Sir (!?!). I also didn’t like the idea of Ana having to do as she’s told by Mr. Grey (Sir). This roused some irritation in me. This would make anyone want to be unruly.

I still have a few chapters and two more novels to get through, but I’m getting the idea of the pain-pleasure principle, sort of, especially since the first spanking (which was odd) and the rouse of positive and negative emotions which followed.   Hopefully I will understand this all and the characters a little more in the next two novels. I’m looking forward to them.

P.S. I’m a little surprised by some of the reviews out there. It seems the trend is to degrade these novels as the latest desperate-housewife-mommy addiction. Not all mommies are desperate, quite the contrary, and I find many of these reviews more disrespectful than the material in the novel they are attacking, which is not. I think the title should have been awakening the goddess to reflect this.